Health « Thurles Information

Covid-19 Update: Fri. 11th Sept. 2020 – 1 New Death – 211 New Cases

Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Tipperary

This evening, figures from the Department of Health confirm that there has sadly been 1 new death caused by the Covid-19 pandemic; leaving the overall death toll here in the Republic of Ireland remaining at 1,781.

However, there are 211 new additional cases reported today, leaving the current total number of confirmed cases, since conception in the Irish Republic, at 30,571.

More than half of the new cases, numbering 121, are reported as confirmed in Dublin.

Of the new cases; 17 are reported in Louth; 10 in Limerick, 8 in Cork, and 7 each in counties Westmeath and Wicklow; 6 in Laois; 5 each in Donegal and Galway. The remaining 24 confirmed cases are in counties Tipperary; Carlow; Clare; Kerry; Kildare; Kilkenny; Leitrim; Longford; Mayo; Meath; Offaly; Roscommon and Waterford.

As of 8:00pm last night, there were 51 patients in receipt of treatment in hospitals, while seven individuals were in intensive care units.

In the North of Ireland, 88 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed.

Please do make an effort to stay safe by reducing social contacts; avoiding crowds; physically distancing; while wearing face coverings and washing your hands regularly.

History Repeats Itself In Covid-19 Virus Pandemic

The 1918 influenza pandemic (or Spanish Flu as it is more often referred) was without doubt the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century. It was caused by an H1N1 virus probably arriving from North American domestic and wild birds, and not from the mixing of human and swine viruses, although it should be noted there is no universal definite consensus, regarding where the virus actually originated.

It has been estimated that some 500 million people or one-third of the world’s then population became infected, resulting in an estimated death toll of at least 50 million persons worldwide, with about 675,000 deaths occurring in the United States alone.

Here in Thurles between 1918 and 1919 daily funerals were a regular spectacle travelling up Church Lane, east of the town, with as many as 9 interments per day recorded.

**Kavanagh Place once site of Casey’s Coal Yard, and where, previous to that, coffins were manufactured.**

Sometimes coffins belonging to the poor would be left inside the graveyard gate for labourers; the frontline workers of back then, who undertook to bury same, returning, as they did after their days work had finished between the hours of 6:00pm and 7:30pm.

Coffins were being made on the site of what was later to became known as Casey’s Coal yard, situated on Kavanagh Place on the south side of Thurles town.

Back then, there were no vaccines to protect against influenza infection and no antibiotics to treat secondary associated bacterial infections. Control efforts worldwide were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions. Yes you have guessed it; just like our endeavours in protecting ourselves against Covid-19 virus today; back then isolation, quarantine, the practise of good personal hygiene, the use of disinfectant and limit public gatherings was encouraged.

Tonight, according to the Centre for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) there are almost 28 million cases of Covid-19 virus confirmed around the world with reported deaths of almost 906 thousand people, due solely to this current pandemic.

During the influenza pandemic of 1918, people called face coverings “Chin Sails“; “Flu Fences” and “Cheesecloth Muzzles“.

The priests leading the funeral processions up Church Lane in Thurles are recorded as wearing white linen across their tall top hats. After the burials it was supposedly the then custom for to give this linen to an under privileged person attending, supposedly to make a small item of clothing for a child.

While I can find no real evidence to support this belief, I have often wondered was this small piece of cloth destined to become a ‘Chin Sail‘ or a ‘Flu Fence‘?

Cigarette, Cigar and Pipe smokers cut flaps or little doors in their cloth face coverings. Tobacco-chewing individuals were kept busy straining on their masks, pulling them up and down to spit. The cinemas and theatres in the larger cities gave masks away free with tickets, others in the business charged for the masks.

On November 1st, 1918, Mr Eugene C. Caley, in Oakland, California is believed to have been the first man to be arrested for not wearing a mask. He was later released on bail.

Covid-19 Update: Thur. 10th Sept. 2020 – 0 New Deaths – 196 New Cases

This evening, figures from the Department of Health confirm that there has been Zero new deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic; leaving the overall death toll here in the Republic of Ireland remaining at 1,781.

However, there are 196 new additional cases reported today, leaving the current total number of confirmed cases, since conception in the Irish Republic, at 30,364.

Of the cases confirmed today; 103 are men and 91 are women. 61% are under 45 years of age.

Today’s cases are located as follows:- 107 in Dublin; 12 in Waterford; 11 in Limerick; 8 in Wicklow; 7 each in Meath and in Kildare; 6 each in Laois, and Westmeath. The remaining 32 cases are located spread over Tipperary; Cavan; Clare; Donegal; Galway; Kilkenny; Leitrim; Longford; Louth; Mayo; Monaghan; Offaly; Roscommon and Wexford.

Currently as of midnight last night, there were 2 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus in Limerick University Hospital, latter medical facility serving North Tipperary, while the facility serving South Tipperary, namely Clonmel General Hospital has 4 suspected cases.

In Northern Ireland, 78 new cases were confirmed today following tests on 5,492 individuals. The total number of cases in the North now stands at 8,035.

Meanwhile, Dr Mike Ryan (Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s Emergencies Programme) has said that he was confident that a vaccine would be found. He added that not all vaccines succeed or can be proven to be fully safe at this time. He further stated that it was correct that the Oxford group and AstraZeneca paused their current trial, adding that there are six other vaccines at phase three level.

Dr. Ryan also remarked that our governments deserve some space in order to get the balance between economy, society and public health right; something that Tipperary populist, vote catching TD’s like Mattie McGrath, Jackie Cahill, Michael Lowry and numerous Sinn Féin elected representatives nationally; who claim to have the solution to everything, might need to keep in mind.

The CEO of the Health Service Executive Paul Reid has stated today that there were 13,000 GP referrals for testing received on Monday last, which was more than double that of the same day last week. Some 21,000 referrals were received within two days, which included a large amount of school children and other people in North Dublin. Testing has been mobilised in this area as well as in Co. Limerick, as a result.

Please do stay safe by reducing social contacts; avoiding crowds; physically distancing; while wearing face coverings and washing your hands regularly.

Covid-19 Update: Wed. 9th Sept. 2020 – 3 New Deaths – 84 New Cases

This evening, figures from the Department of Health confirm that there has been sadly 3 new deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic; leaving the overall death toll here in the Republic of Ireland remaining at 1,781.

However, there are 84 new additional cases reported today, leaving the current total number of confirmed cases, since conception in the Irish Republic, at 30,164.

Of the cases notified today 51 are in Dublin; 6 in Offaly; 5 in Kildare, with the remaining 22 cases spread across Tipperary (now with 734 cases), Cork; Donegal; Galway; Mayo; Meath; Roscommon; Westmeath and Wicklow. Of today’s confirmed cases, 32 are men, 52 are women and 66% are under 45 years of age.

In new figures published today, from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, up to midnight last Saturday, there have been five Covid-19 outbreaks reported originating from pubs; five cases confirmed in a restaurant or cafe and two linked to hotels. Of 85 workplace outbreaks; 31 were in meat/poultry processing plants, 5 were in mushroom farms and 7 were linked to a retail outlet.

Within vulnerable populations, there have been outbreaks in direct provision centres (292 cases); the Traveller community (101 cases); Roma community (69 cases); prisons (24 cases – two among prisoners with the remainder being staff cases through community transmission) and the homeless and those with addiction issues (20 cases).

There have been 2,018 outbreaks of Covid-19 in Irish private houses.
The 14-day incidence of Covid-19 infection in Dublin has risen significantly in recent days to a colossal 70.8 cases per 100,000 people, according to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre for the two weeks ending at midnight on 7 September. This rate was 53.2 only six days ago.

Other Covid-19 News:
Tipperary Medical Practitioner, Dr. Pat Harrold, (Nenagh Co. Tipperary) has taken Deputy TD Mattie McGrath to task on radio over his nonsense claims relating to the number of Covid-19 deaths.
Mr McGrath, one of 23 TD’s in the Dáil who employs family members, thus creating jobs within the State; [In Mr McGrath’s case one of his daughters and a niece share the role of his parliamentary assistant; while another daughter works part-time as his secretarial assistant], grabbed unto and promoted the misleading and inaccurate information being spread by failed populist politician, anti-vaccinations, anti-eviction and anti-EU, Mr Ben Gilroy.

Both Mr McGrath and Mr Gilroy, as far as we are aware have no medical qualifications, nevertheless, people on social media are believing and sharing their idiotic claims.

We remain unsure if Mr McGrath has now joined the Direct Democracy Ireland (DDI) political party or if he was simply attempting to attract votes, latter votes which he found scarce during counting at the last General Election.

Meanwhile, trials of a Covid-19 vaccine under development by AstraZeneca and Oxford University have been put on hold, owing to a reported side effect in a patient in the UK. The Vaccine developers did not reveal any further information about the patient’s condition other than to describe it as “a potentially unexplained illness”.

Please do stay safe by reducing social contacts; avoiding crowds; physically distancing; while wearing face coverings and washing your hands regularly.

Covid-19 Update: Tue. 8th Sept. 2020 – One New Death – 307 New Cases

This evening, figures from the Department of Health confirm that there has been sadly one new death caused by the Covid-19 pandemic; leaving the overall death toll here in the Republic of Ireland remaining at 1,778.

However, there are 307 new additional cases reported today, leaving the current total number of confirmed cases, since conception in the Irish Republic, at 30,080.

More than half of todays cases, (Total 182), are confirmed in Dublin; 25 of the cases are in Kildare; 19 in Limerick; 15 each in Wexford and Louth; 8 in Wicklow, 6 each in Galway, Clare and Kilkenny, with the remaining 25 cases located spread out across counties Tipperary; Cavan; Cork; Donegal; Kerry; Longford; Meath; Monaghan; Offaly; Sligo; Waterford; and Westmeath.

Of the 307 case notified today, 160 are men and 146 are women and some 73% are under the age of 45.

Last night, there are 48 confirmed cases in hospitals around the country, with six of these in intensive care units

In other Covid-19 news, it is understood government ministers have agreed that pubs that do not serve food (Wet Pubs), will be able to reopen from September 21st, 2020. However, same comes with a warning that these reopenings will be subject to local restrictions that may arise from time to time.

Please do stay safe by reducing social contacts; avoiding crowds; physically distancing; while wearing face coverings and washing your hands regularly.